The Moon by Max Ehrman

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THE MOON

"I would, if I could, bring back into fashion the moon and the stars, the dawn and the sunset.
I rarely hear anyone speak of them.
One would think these perpetual wonders had passed from sight.

There is peace and rest in the contemplation of these miracles that nature paints on the canvas of the sky.

But we do not want peace and rest;
we are enamored of noise and motion.
A St. Vitus dance has seized us.
Things must change. The nerves have a limit of endurance.

Tonight I looked at the moon for a while.
There was a faint circle around it.
A friend came by and asked what I was looking at.
I pointed to the moon.
"I don't see anything."
"The moon", I said.
He chuckled and went on. He will report me as growing queer.

The mystery of the night!
And our own mystery!
Who knows what we are?
No science has yet grasped us.

The moon - the beautiful, mystical moon -
playing nightly to empty seats!"

* This is one of my favorite poems--especially the last line.